


traditional fruitcakes

by Areiton



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Baking, Domestic Avengers, Fruitcake, Gen, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Pining, There's a lot of emotions about fruitcake tbh, Tony Stark Has A Heart, natasha likes baking, no one likes fruitcake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:54:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28316343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Areiton/pseuds/Areiton
Summary: He makes fruitcake for the first time while there is still soil from his mother's grave on his dress shoes
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 75





	traditional fruitcakes

He makes fruitcake for the first time while there is still soil from his mother's grave on his dress shoes, eyes burning and hands trembling and Rhodey's Grammy watching with sharp kind eyes and gentle hands as he measures out the fruit and pours flour, while he chops up fruit and measures sugar. Rhodey is nearby, quiet and watchful and when Grammy hands him the brandy to pour over the cheesecloth, helps him wrap the still warm loaves with sticky fingers, she murmurs, "You're made for making things, Tony. Don't you ever forget that." 

The fruitcake is nutty and it burns his fingers, but he doesn't forget, either. 

~*~ 

Sometimes, and he doesn't know when and he never understands  _ why _ , but sometimes, randomly, Steve will find Tony in the kitchen, stirring together batter, his eyes tired and shoulders slumped, and he'll find a fruitcake wrapped in brandy soaked cheesecloth in the morning and he'll  _ wonder.  _

~*~

Tony and Rhodey spend Christmas eve making fruitcake, and the Avengers wander in and out. Natasha decorates cookies quietly and bats Tony's hand away with a fond smile when he tries to sneak icing. Her cookies are delicate and precise, lovely little works of art that will go with the cocoa and eggnog in the morning when they gather sleepy and soft around a sparsely decorated tree and a pile of presents. 

"No one eats fruitcake," Clint mutters, draped over Nat's back, his fingers caught in her sweater. 

“Shut up,” Tony says, pleasantly, and Rhodey snickers, dumps the chopped cherries into the batter while Tony soaks cheesecloth in brandy. 

It’s ritual and familiar, the steps, an easy dance around each other that doesn’t even need the recipe card anymore. 

It still sits out, of course, Grammy’s spindly handwriting familiar and beloved. 

~*~ 

No one eats fruitcake. 

_ Tony _ doesn’t even eat fruitcake. 

Sometimes, though, he’ll come into the kitchen, when it’s late and the cake is left soaking overnight, and he’ll find a slice, thick and warm, missing. 

~*~ 

He bakes fruitcake because Grammy taught him to--made him every single time Rhodey dragged the baby billionaire back to Philly for Christmas. 

He bakes fruitcake because on the darkest night of his life, with his mama’s gravedirt on his knees and Jarvis ashes under his nails, Grammy taught him he could still  _ create.  _

He bakes fruitcake because Rhodey grins when he sees the ingredients lined up neat on the counter, and Steve watches him, even though he won’t admit it, and the family he chose, that he _ built _ might not like fruitcake--but they’re his and fruitcake is what taught him that you can have a new family. 

~*~ 

Steve is sitting on the counter, picking at the fruitcake in it’s brandy soaked wrapping, sticky fingers still fragrant with the scent of cherries and spices and Tony leans into his knee and says, “Teach me what your mama made.” 

Steve smiles, and slides off the counter, steps closer to Tony and says, “Yeah. Ok.” 

~*~ 

When they kiss, the scent of fresh biscuits is in the air and tree lights brightens Tony’s eyes, and Steve’s lips taste like cherries and fruitcake. 


End file.
